Kanturk's Mairead Martin overcame swirling winds to lead the qualifiers and claim the Leitrim Cup in the Irish Women’s Close Championship at Mullingar.

Buoyed by her performance in the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship last week, where she fell to Olivia Mehaffey in round two, Martin added a one under 73 to her opening 75 to lead the 32 qualifiers on level par, one clear of Ennis' Sarah Cunningham.

“It was very tough in the blustery conditions, the wind kept changing direction all day," said Mairead, who birdied the first, second, eighth and 14th in the afternoon.

"I putted very well this afternoon which was the key and kept my score going.”

Maynooth University and Ballinrobe's Shannon Burke and Ladies British Open Amateur Championship leading qualifier and eventual quarterfinalist Paula Grant led the way in the morning with 74. 

A swirling breeze at Mullingar stiffened in the afternoon, and while Burke and Grant slipped to two and one over respectively, Martin was not affected 

She said: “I played well last week at the British Amateur in Wales and I got to play with some great players which was nice and gave me some confidence coming into this week.”
 
Girls’ international Lauren Walsh from Castlewarden made six birdies in a best of the day 72 in the afternoon to qualify in seventh place and set up a first-round clash with Cork’s Rachel Thompson tomorrow in the final 32.
 
Martin meets Munster Women’s Champion Paula Walsh from Doneraile.

Irish Women's Amateur Close, Mullingar GC (Par 74)

First Round

Friday

1. 09:00 Mairead Martin (Kanturk) v Paula Walsh (Doneraile)  
2. 09:09 Maria Dunne (Skerries) v Clodagh Walsh (Castlewarden)  
3. 09:18 Ariana Coyle Diez (Elm Park) v Chloe Ryan (Castletroy/UCD)  
4. 09:27 Mary Dowling (New Ross) v Louise Coffey (Malone)  
5. 09:36 Ciara Casey (Hermitage) v Anna Dawson (Tramore)  
6. 09:45 Sara Byrne (Douglas) v Alice Hutchinson (St. Anne's)  
7. 09:54 Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe) v Valerie Clancy (Killarney)  
8. 10:03 Aine Donegan (Woodstock) v Eleanor Metcalfe (Laytown & Bettystown)  
9. 10:12 Sarah Cunningham (Ennis) v Emma Forbes (Royal Portrush)  
10. 10:21 Meadhbh Doyle (Portarlington) v Maeve Cummins (Lurgan)  
11. 10:30 Lauren Walsh (Castlewarden) v Rachel Thompson (Cork)  
12. 10:39 Niamh McSherry (Lurgan) v Kate Dwyer (Rossmore)  
13. 10:48 Paula Grant (Lisburn) v Roisin Brady (Co. Louth)  
14. 10:57 Beth Coulter (Kirkistown Castle) v Orla Dunphy (Kilkenny)  
15. 11:06 Sinead Sexton (Lahinch) v Kate Lanigan (Hermitage)  
16. 11:15 Lisa O’Shea (Shannon) v Aoife Lowry (Tipperary).

Qualifiers

Detailed scores

148 M Martin (Kanturk) 75 73

149 S Cunningham (Ennis) 75 74; P Grant (Lisburn) 74 75

150 C Casey (Hermitage) 75 75; S Burke (Ballinrobe) 74 76

151 S Sexton (Lahinch) 76 75

153 L Walsh (Castlewarden) 81 72; A Coyle Diez (Elm Park) 79 74; M Dowling (New Ross) 78 75

154 N McSherry (Lurgan) 77 77

155 L O’Shea (Shannon) 79 76; A Donegan (Woodstock) 75 80

156 S Byrne (Douglas) 76 80

157 B Coulter (Kirkistown Castle) 81 76; M Doyle (Portarlington) 80 77; M Dunne Jnr. (Skerries) 79 78; C Walsh (Castlewarden) 78 79

158 M Cummins (Lurgan) 83 75; O Dunphy (Kilkenny) 82 76; A Hutchinson (St. Anne’s) 81 77; E Metcalfe (Laytown & Bettystown) 80 78; A LowryY (Tipperary) 80 78; K Dwyer (Rossmore) 79 79; L Coffey (Malone) 79 79; C Ryan (Castletroy/ UCD) 77 81

159 R Thompson (Cork) 79 80; K Lanigan (Hermitage) 79 80

160 V Clancy (Killarney) 82 78; A Dawson (Tramore) 81 79; R Brady (Co. Louth) 78 82

161 E Forbes (Royal Portrush) 81 80; P Walsh (Doneraile) 81 80;

Non-qualifiers

161 G McCarthy (Milltown) 79 82; E O’Gorman (Milltown)  7982; G O’Leary (The Island)  7883; C Griffin (Killarney)  77 84

162 M Dowling (Lucan) 84 78; A Murphy (Carlow) 83 79; R Gardner (Carnalea) 81 81; N Ward (Lurgan) 80 82; S Brown (The Heath) 80 82

163 L Simpson (Massereene) 84 79; H Hall (Enniscrone) 84 79; H Henderson (Ballyclare) 81 82; C Jones (Roscrea)  8083; G Carr (Milltown)  7984; U Marsden (Tullamore)  7885      

165 M O’Hara (Clandeboye) 77 88

166 C Hopkins (Woodbrook) 86 80; M Kelly (Castle Dargan) 82 84

167 Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell) 85 82; N O’Dwyer (Lahinch) 83 84; M Doyle (The Heath) 83 84; S Corcoran (Portumna)  8285; R McDonnell (Elm Park)  8285; C Calvert (Royal County Down Ladies’ Golf Club) 80 87

168 A Foster (Elm Park) 85 83

169 C O’Connor (Roscommon) 83 86; K O’Hart (Arklow) 81 88; J Browne (Kilkenny) 80 89

170 L Temple Lang (Elm Park) 83 87

171 C McGonagle (Portsalon) 85 86; C Screene (Hermitage) 81 90

172 A McVicker (Belvoir Park) 85 87

173 C Hewitt (Courtown ) 86 87; Z Collins (England) 84 89

175 A Conlon (Mullingar) 85 90

176 L Murray (Delgany ) 86 90

177 N McGavisk (Donabate) 85 92

178 O McClurg (Belvoir Park) 93 85; S Molloy (Kilkenny) 88 90

179 L Bowe (Royal Co. Down Ladies) 90 89; K Keenan (Kilkenny) 87 92

181 D McCooke (Galgorm Castle) 91 90

182 F Farrell (Skerries) 93 89

187 S Hegarty (Ennis) 92 95

188 R Maguire (Corrstown) 92 96

DQ D Smith (Co. Louth).